2008-09 NHL First Half Fantasy Studs

Total Pro Sports – With the NHL All-Star festivities this weekend and zero regular season games being played the next few days now is as good of time as any to look back on the first half of the NHL season and reflect on what has taken place on the ice in terms of fantasy.

This entry will take a look at some of the players, 10 to be exact, who either increased their value or surprised many of us. So, if you’re looking for Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin you wont find them on this list.

Lets take a look at the 2008-09 NHL First Half Fantasy Studs.

C – Ryan Getzlaf – Anaheim Ducks: It’s no surprise he’s one of the bright young players in the league, but no one expected him to do this well. He currently sits tied for 4th overall in the league for points with 56 (17 goals & 39 assists). He’s also managed to rack up 85 penalty minutes and 26 power play points.

C – Jeff Carter – Philadelphia Flyers: Carter had a promising rookie campaign back in 2005-06 but had troubles improving on it the last two seasons. That all changed this year as he’s currently 2nd overall in the league for goals scored with 30. He’s also managed 21 assists for 51 points on the season so far.

LW – Zach Parise – New Jersey Devils: For being on a team not known for scoring, Parise is having himself one helluva season. Zach is tied for 5th overall in the league for points with 55 (28 goals & 27 assists). He also has a +/- rating of plus-20, 193 shots on goal and averaging 1.17 points per game.

C – David Krejci – Boston Bruins: Look up the word “surprising” in the dictionary and you’ll see a picture of this man right beside it, although most people probably don’t even know what he looks like. Krejci has played a big part in the Bruins success thus far and if you don’t believe me just look at his stats. He’s in the top 10 in the league for points with 52 (17 goals & 35 assists), has a +/- rating of plus-25 and has put up 15 power play points.

RW – Devin Setoguchi – San Jose Sharks: A team like the Sharks already stacked with players like Thornton, Marleau, Michalek and Boyle no one really expected anything out of sophmore Setoguchi. However, he’s already more than doubled his points from last season in the same amount of games, 44 points in 44 games, and has a +/- rating of plus-16.

D – Dennis Wideman – Boston Bruins: Just like Krejci, Wideman has played a big part in the turn around of the Boston Bruins this season. He’s tied for 6th amoung defencemen in the NHL for points with 31 (9 goals & 22 assists) and has a +/- rating of plus-26.

D – Shea Weber – Nashville Predators: On what has been an up and down season for the Predators they’ve been able to rely on one constant the whole season, Shea Weber. Weber is tied for 5th amoung defencemen in the NHL for points with 32 (14 goals & 18 assists). He’s also managed 11 points on the power play and has a +/- rating of plus-6, which is pretty good for being on a not so good team.

D – Rob Blake – San Jose Sharks: Just when it seemed like Blake was on the decline of his career he goes and proves everyone wrong. Blake currently has 29 points (7 goals & 22 assists) and a +/- rating of plus-13.

G – Steve Mason – Columbus Blue Jackets: Not even the Blue Jackets expected this one. He started out the season in the AHL but due to an injury to Pascal Leclaire he was called up and never looked back. Mason has collected 17 wins, and posted a league leading 2.05 GAA, .926 SAV% and also leads the league with 6 shutouts. Oh, and I forgot to mention he’s done all of that in just 30 games so far on a weak Columbus team who are fighting for 8th in the West because of his great play.

G – Scott Clemmensen – New Jersey Devils: When Martin Brodeur went down due to injury everyone thought the Devils season went down with it. However, a man by the last name of Clemmensen had something to say about that. In 30 games so far he’s collected 19 wins while posting a 2.29 GAA and a .922 SAV%.

Remember to check back tomorrow to take a look at our 2008-09 NHL First Half Fantasy Duds.